A fire has ravaged the Madalakufa informal settlement in Thembisa on the East Rand, the Gauteng housing department said on Sunday.
Departmental spokesperson Mongezi Mnyani said the fire started on Saturday night and was extinguished in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mnyani said the department had already found alternative accommodation for the affected families and individuals at a nearby community centre.
He said the department would now look at medium to long-term solutions for the affected families and for the entire informal settlement.
”A process of identifying suitable land is already under way and once this process is completed we will look at what type of housing settlement should be undertaken,” Mnyani said.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council will also assist the families rebuild their shacks, he said. – Sapa